Where Did The Houston Astros Come From?

On July 27th, the Houston Astros were 12.5 games back in the National League Central.

Since that time they re-activated Roy Oswalt and Kaz Matsui, signed LaTroy Hawkins and picked Jose Castillo up off of waivers.

Instead of rolling over and playing dead, like so many teams do at the deadline, the 'stros became buyers and decided to play like there was no tomorrow.

As of September 12 they sit 3 games behind Milwaukee Brewers for the NL Wild Card and show no signs of stopping.

Since August 23rd the team has only lost three games. Three games. They are on a mission to make everyone forget who the 2007 Colorado Rockies were.

Before the deadline the Brewers looked like a team of destiny, after pulling off a blockbuster deal to snag CC Sabathia from the Indians it appeared that no one could stand up to a one-two punch of CC and Ben Sheets.

CC has proven his worth, and more, during his time with the Brew Crew, however, the rest of the team has not been picking up the slack on the days he is not pitching. Over the same time span that the Astros have been red hot, the Brewers have lost nine games, eight of those in the last 12 games.

This, then, begs the question, how exactly did a team so far back at the deadline put it all together?

If we look at the pieces to the puzzle it does not seem to complex. The first, and most obvious, key to the team's success this season is Lance Berkman. Berks is leading the team in every major statistical category (.328, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 1.029 OPS), and providing an anchor in the lineup.

It helps to have everyone behind him hitting the ball as well: Hunter Pence, Kaz Matsui, Darren Erstad, Ty Wiggingon, Miguel Tejada and Jose Castillo are all hitting above the .270 mark.

The offensive numbers put up by this team are especially impressive when you consider that Carlos Lee has been on the disable list since August 11th.

To say that the offense has been carrying this team would be a gross misstatement. Roy Oswalt has cemented his role as the ace of the staff, going 15-9 with a 3.54 ERA and 148 strikeouts.

Having the league leader in saves is certainly a boon as well (see: 2007 Cleveland Indians). Jose Valverde has converted 42 of 48 save opportunities this season and appears nearly un-hittable in most appearances.

These 'stros have shown that they have the grit and determination to not give up, but with 15 games left in the season much remains to be seen.

According to Buster Olney in his latest Pennant Pulse column, if the Astros were to make the playoffs they will be only the third team in history to be 12.5 games out that late in the year and still make the postseason.

It doesn't look overly promising, but in the words of the immortal Lloyd Christmas, "you're saying there's a chance."

With the next two games against the Cubs cancelled due to Hurricane Ike, the Astros have to try to find their winning form again after a brief break.